Ginko Angel

The ginko wings on the angel (she's holding a ginko leaf bowl). I love ginko trees....the leaves look like gold coins falling.....I really hope these wings make it!

Ginko Wings

Here's what I did today.....I finished glazing small bits to Raku next weekend (tedious, somewhat boring, very small paintbrush) updated the photos on my facebook page, sold an angel, made these ginko wings (for the angel that I'll take a picture of tomorrow) and pondered Mary some more.....I'm a little stuck on her neck and shoulders and how to get them to fit....her body is a complete mystery (construction wise)...I need a sort of  tile mosaic cage...anyway, I carved the Chinese symbol for kiss inside her face....an afterthought since listening to Mary (Joan Baez) nonstop for two days.
I think these wings will really be nice raku fired....can't wait!

The Mary Project

I don't really know why Mary intrigues me so....perhaps it's all the touching stories and rituals (that cross so many different religions and cultures) associated with her...I don't know...I just know that she's been on my mind a lot lately...maybe having my last son leave for college has made me feel closer to her....not that my son is at all comparable to Jesus...but there is a deep missing I feel she understands.
I heard a Joan Baez song about Mary last night... it opened something and I had to put the Tara's aside (again) and start on her.
There's been this idea for a 3D Mary mosaic floating through my brain for a while...I've spent months reading Mary lore (something I highly recommend), I've drawn the prototype for what I want to make (although I have no idea how I'm going to construct her).....I believe this might be her head and crown....although I might totally change it (because I do that sometimes).
I want her to look proud and tough but somewhat sad....approachable.....graceful, dignified...you know....Maryish.

Cheyenne Tara

I think this is one of my favorite sculptures...I never posted a picture of her finished because she cracked down the back when I raku fired her
...I just hate when that happens!

I had intended to do a series of Tara goddesses from different cultures but I got a little depressed when the first one didn't make it...now, a year later,  I'm ready to work on the series again
...I just love it when that happens!

Three Saints in a Row

From left to right:  Saint Rose of Lima (patron saint of rose gardeners) Saint Francis (everyone knows about him) and Saint Gertrude (patron saint of cats and people who fear mice)...another experiment.  I made these from porcelain...which doesn't do well for raku...they turned out quite nice...I won't use porcelain again though...way too sloopy for hand building!

Pretty Hamsa

I just love the way this Hamsa turned out!  I love the color, I love the places the spirals ended up and I love, love, love the shiny dots!

At Last...Wings!

Well....the beautiful crackle white angel I made in July of 2010 has finally earned her wings!
The ones I made for her originally didn't make it through the raku fire and I've been at a loss over how I was going to replace them (the original wings were mostly black with white crackle spirals....pretty, but too same and same).  These wings were an experiment that made it!  I used a technique that I wasn't sure would stay together through the raku fire...and since I wasn't sure the wings were going to survive at all....I used a glaze that froze during the winter...a glaze that usually turns shiny blues and greens but now is matte earth tones (however, I didn't know that was going to happen...I only knew "they" say to throw away glaze that has frozen)....LOVE it!

I did use a shiny (nonfrozen) glaze on the dots in her wings..... so there is a little sparkle.

Necklace

This is a new project I'm working on with my daughter.  I make and raku the pendants and she does the chain and beadwork.....pretty cool!  You can check out my very-slow-going website www.firebrushedstudio.com to see more of these.